Review

With a brace of accolades under its belt – including a Commercial Fleet Award for Best Medium Panel Van – it is hard to imagine VW could improve the current Transporter further.

But it has. As announced at the CV Show, Transporter models – along with Crafter and Caddy – can now be ordered with a Business Pack, adding extra equipment that is key for fleet operators.

These packs add items of specification that business customers most frequently specify, at a much cheaper price.

Available on entry-level Startline models, the pack costs £835 (saving £470 if you were to add these options individually). It includes an alarm, rear parking sensors, air conditioning and a fixed bulkhead.

Through collaboration with price guide influencers, a residual value uplift of up to £450 is applied on models where Business Packs have been chosen.

Prices for the Transporter Startline start from £20,010 (basic RRP ex VAT) with the 82PS 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine.

The model is also available with 102PS or 150PS versions of the same diesel engine plus a 150PS 2.0-litre TSI petrol unit.

Two wheelbases and three roof sizes provide a load compartment volume from 5.8-to-9.3cu m with space for up to three Euro-pallets on the largest versions.

A low load bed, combined with a rear opening width of 1,473mm and maximum load height of 1,940mm for high roof models, makes load access on the Transporter easy and convenient.

Businesses can further enhance the Transporter through an extensive list of options, providing rear barn doors or a tailgate, sliding side doors, roof rails and additional batteries.

Technology more commonly found in road cars is also available such as automatic LED headlights and adaptive cruise control.

All Transporter models feature Front Assist with autonomous emergency brake as standard, providing greater levels of active safety than rival vans.

With the more potent 150PS engine in our test vehicle we found the Transporter to be particularly flexible. With 340Nm of torque it has no trouble with heavier loads and tows with ease.

You also get a six-speed gearbox with the more potent unit, instead of a five-speed, which helps improve efficiency.

Combined fuel economy of 46.3mpg is less than 1mpg below the figure for the less powerful models, yet, during our testing, we were able to achieve 48mpg with a light load.

Driveability is among the best in the market with light controls and great visibility, topped off with a layer of easy-to-use and durable switchgear.

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Specs

Manufacturer Volkswagen
Model Transporter Light Commercial
Specification Transporter T30SWB 2.0TDI 150 SS Startline Business Van 6Spd 19MY
Model Year 0.00
Annual VED (Road tax) £0
BIK List Price £26,205
CO2 189g/km
Insurance Group N/A
CC N/A
Fuel Type
Vehicle Type Medium panel van
Luggage capacity (Seats up) 3litres

Running Costs

39.2 MPG
189g/km CO2
£0 VED
P11D £26,205
Insurance group N/A
Fuel Type
Cost per mile 50.73ppm
Fuel 12.83ppm
Depreciation 34.52ppm
Service maintenance and repair 3.38ppm

Info at a glance

  • P11D Price
    £26,205
  • MPG
    39.2
  • CO2 Emissions
    189g/km
  • Payload
    1,062kg
  • Load Volume
    5,800mm
  • Load Width
    1,700mm
  • Load Length
    2,572mm